Let The Games Begin
by happyday girl
Summary: Set in Season 2. As Sam and Dean are recovering from a testing hunt they are abducted by an insane man who chooses the boys for his own macabre games, based on the four elements. hurt!Sam hurt/protective!Dean, Please read and review! Not a SAW cross-over!
1. Chapter 1

'So Dean...when I say "let's _not_ go into the freaky, dark, leaking cave"- can we actually do that?' Sam Winchester snapped as he dumped his bags on the motel room floor, before turning round just in time to see Dean pull a face at him.

'Dude!' he said angrily, at which Dean smiled at him.

'Oh, bite me Sammy...I didn't know there was going to be a flesh-eating monster in there did I?'

'We're lucky we came out alive' Sam murmured, before starting to unpack his clothes.

'Oh come on Samantha! You did good out there...saved my ass' chuckled Dean, patting Sam on the head.

'Saved your ass from being eaten can I just add?' Sam smiled, before ducking out the way of Dean's playful whack round the head.

'Yeah whatever...I would've found a way out!'

'Yeah sure!' Sam smiled, before dumping his duffel bag on the floor and kicking it under the bed for safekeeping.

Dean didn't even bother unpacking. He lived in his duffel, and he was just going to have to pack all his clothes back in there before they left- so why bother unpacking?

He looked round the room, already bored out of his skull.

He clapped his hands, making his little brother jump.

'Alrighty-I'm gonna go get food...what do you fancy? It's your turn to choose!' he said, grinning as his brother pretended to think about his decision.

'I'll think I'll go for burgers tonight' he smiled, before giving his brother a look, recognising the raised eyebrows.

'Oh come on! Use your own money...tightwad...' Sam muttered as he reached into his own pocket, pulling out a twenty dollar bill, and giving the crisp note to his brother.

'Thanks Sammy boy! Won't be a tick' and with that, he walked out the room, slamming the door behind him.

Sam sighed and sat on the small wooden chair, and started to flick through the channels off the tiny TV that was in the room.

* * *

Dean crossed the road, pulling his leather jacket tighter around him. It was now mid-November, and it was really starting to get cold now. He and Sam were going to have to invest in long Johns and big woolly coats if the weather carried on like this.

He walked down the street, eyeing all the different shops. _New town, new culture, new lives._

He spotted a gorgeous young woman walking towards him, her long flowing black hair whipping around her head in a sudden wind. As she pulled her hair into place again, her eyes fell on the oldest Winchester, and she beamed at him.

Dean grinned back, but as he was just going to go make polite conversation with her, he was pulled roughly into a side alley, before being none too gently slammed into the wall.

'Well, Dean...at last I find you!' a breathy voice hissed in his ear.

Before Dean could struggle, or even call out for help, the man who ambushed him pulled out a long, thick hypodermic needle, and jammed it into his neck.

Dean tensed, and then thrashed around violently, clawing at the man's face, his heart beating in a desperate, enveloping panic as he felt his body weaken.

His movements slowed down, his arms and legs growing heavy, until he fell with a heavy thud to the floor.

The man wiped the needle on Dean's jacket, then replaced its lid and stowed it away in his pocket.

He then looked down at the man he had just immobilised, and smiled.

One down-one to go.

* * *

Sam sighed, then looked at his watch again. Dean had been gone for nearly an hour and a half. Surely it didn't take this long to grab some food?

He tried calling Dean's cell again, but all he got was voicemail, Sam stood up and walked to the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of his brother walking down the street, but he couldn't.

He walked to his bed and pulled on his coat, before opening the door and locking it behind him. Dean was probably lost, he thought, _but then why would his phone be turned off?_

Sam swept all his dark thoughts to the back of his head, rubbishing them immediately.

Dean was fine; he was probably in a cue or something.

Sam crossed the road into town, and made his way through the streets, looking through all the shop windows to check for his brother, but there was no sign of him.

As he crossed to the other side, he became acutely aware that he was being followed.

A man in a dark suit had been tailing him for two blocks now, always crossing the road when he did. It seemed that the shady didn't mind Sam knowing that he was following him; indeed, when Sam turned round once or twice, the man smiled pleasantly at him and gave him a jaunty wave.

Sam crossed the road, and then purposely walked into a darker alley, a small space between shops, which came out at a larger road at the very end.

He heard echoing footsteps behind him, and turned quickly to come face to face with the man that had been following him.

'Can I help you?' he frowned, noting the man's slightly scarred face, his deep brown eyes.

'Well, now you come to mention it...yes you can!' the man said, before pushing Sam backwards, then punching him in the face.

Sam reeled back, but was soon ready to fight back, slipping into the karate stance that his father taught him. He swiped at the suited man, hitting his shoulder and sending him into the wall face-first. The man growled and grabbed Sam by the head, slamming his face into the wall, again and again.

As Sam resurfaced, face scratched and covered in blood, the man let him drop to the floor, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a hypodermic.

'Don't worry...' he hissed, gently jabbing it in Sam's neck, pressing the plunger and sending the clear liquid into Sam's system.

'...you won't feel a thing'

**What's going to happen to Sam and Dean?**

**What does the man want with the brothers?**

**Find out in the next chapter!**

**Please read and review!**


	2. Fire

Dean woke up groggily, shaking his head slightly.

He looked around, frowning as he studied his new surroundings.

The room he was in seemed normal enough; it had faded posters on the wall, it seemed like a completely normal bedroom.

Dean sat up, groaning, but found that he couldn't sit up properly, as his left hand was handcuffed to the radiator that took up one side of the wall.

Dean weakly struggled against the metal clasp around his wrist, but found that he just didn't have the energy. What had happened?

All Dean could remember was being thrown into the wall in the street, but after that it was just a blur. He was going out to get food for himself and Sam.

_Sammy_.

Where was he? He hoped he was just sitting in the motel room, waiting for him to get back.

He began to struggle harder, groaning as he tried to break his metal bond, but it just wouldn't budge.

'I wouldn't struggle if I were you' came a soft, almost floaty voice from the other side of the room. Dean's eyes shot up, trying to pinpoint the face of the voice through the darkness of the room.

'Who the hell are you?' he barked angrily, but the man merely shook his head.

'Time will tell Dean, you don't need to know who I am' he said.

'What's that supposed to mean? Where the hell am I?' asked Dean.

'Oh Dean, questions and more questions, why don't you just quieten up for a second?' said the man, his soft voice a contrast against his words.

'What?' asked Dean, now thoroughly confused.

'Shh' said the man, standing up. Dean noticed he was holding a can of some sort.

'What's that?' he asked, fear now coursing through his veins.

'Well, this is a can of petrol' said the man, nonchalantly pouring the liquid around the room.

As the fumes reached Dean's nose, he began to retch.

'What are you doing?' he yelped, covering his nose with his shirt, streaming eyes looking for a way to escape.

'Well, I'm really not sure what it looks like to you Dean, but it looks to me like I'm just about to set this room on fire.' Said the man, his face still shrouded in darkness.

'But I have to give you a little advice first- your little brother is also in this building, and I would hate for him to get hurt in our little game' he smiled, nodding his head at Dean's stunned and horrified expression.

'Sammy's here?' he said faintly.

The man chuckled as he nodded, continuing to spread the liquid around the room.

Dean retched and started to wrench his hand away from the bond, trying desperately to break free so he could get to Sam.

'oh now don't fret Dean' the man said, bending down and patting Dean on the shoulder; Dean jumped as if burned, but stayed still, fear was beginning to set it- who was this dude? What the hell had they done to him?

The man reached into his coat and brought out a set of keys.

Dean looked on as he fiddled for the right one, before clutching hold of a small silver key.

He unhooked it from the rest and put it on the floor, just out of reach of Dean.

'Now' he said as he stood up again, groaning slightly as he did so.

'You will want to reach for the keys in a flash, but I must warn you, you have to have patience. Let me go and you can go fetch your brother, if you kill me, your brother will also die' he said.

Dean choked out a cry, before growling at the man.

'let my brother go you son of a bitch- what have you done with him!' he yelled, but the man merely smiled, before reaching back into his pocket and pulling out a box of matches.

Dean looked on in horror as he opened the box, selecting a match, and striking it against the side.

He jumped as the match was lit, the stark orange light a contrast in the gloomy room, although the man's face was still unseen.

'Please...please don't!' Dean yelped, reaching desperately for the key.

'I have to...I have to record the results' said the man, before dropping the match at his feet.

At once, the floor turned to flame, the fire spreading around the wet carpet, which was soaked in the petrol.

Dean yelped in fear as he watched the flame course a path ever nearer to where he was sitting, however he let out a sigh of relief, but with a thrill of curiosity as the flame merely encircled him; the man had only spread the petrol around him, not leading to him.

'Have fun' the man stated before he quickly left the room leaving Dean to search desperately for a way out.

He looked around, but there seemed to be no way through the circle of fire that was around him; he reached again for the key, the flames licking at the gold metal. He strained and reached for the key, sweat beginning to pour down his face due to the immense heat. He managed to grasp a tiny part of the key and pull it towards him.

As he unlocked himself from the cuff he began to cough, looking desperately for a way out of the flame. He had to find Sammy.

In a split second, Dean realised that he had no other option. He pulled his shirt over his whole face, and jumped through the high wall of fire.

Under his shirt, Dean gasped as he felt the immense heat consume his body, singeing his hair, the heat tearing at his skin.

Dean knelt on the floor after his jump, breathing heavily, taking his shirt away from his face, but not from his mouth and nose.

He looked around, spotted the door, flew through it and slammed the door shut.

The heat stopped, and Dean sighed in relief.

He looked around when a dull whooshing sound reached his ears, followed by more heat.

'oh come on!' he yelped, running from the corridor as the room opposite him burst into flame, sending choking some his way.

'Sammy!' Dean shouted, before coughing into his shirt. He realised with a jolt that he had left the door open, so the flames were spreading down the corridor towards him. He had to find Sam.

'Sam!' he yelled again, listening for an answer.

Not liking the silence, Dean carried on running down the corridor, checking each room for Sam.

After running past each door, they all burst into flames, sending searing heat straight at him.

His chest was getting tight; his shirt wasn't enough to keep out the smoke.

'Sam!' he choked out, streaming eyes still searching desperately for his brother.

He ran to the last room of the corridor, throwing the door open and looking inside,

The air was clear, fresh, and in the corner...

'Sammy!' Dean gasped, running to his brother and falling to his knees beside him.

He shook his unconscious brother awake, looking around as Sam groaned and woke groggily.

'Dean?' Sam said, looking around the room. What the hell had happened?

'Where are we?' he asked, sitting up. He frowned as he realised he couldn't fully move his left arm; it was in a cuff.

'What the-'he said, shaking the metal. Dean looked down, and then quickly reached into his pocket for the key to his cuff. He had to get them out of here soon...the fire would soon reach them.

'Come on Sam' he said, undoing Sam's handcuff.

Sam stood up shakily, rubbing his head.

'Dean-what the hells happening?' he asked, fear now clenching his chest as he saw smoke rippling into the room.

'Dean!' he yelped, but Dean said nothing. He was looking for a way out.

Sam was starting to ask questions again, but Dean stopped him.

'Listen!' he said, motioning for Sam to listen. Sam obeyed, trying to hear something.

He couldn't hear anything...until a high-pitched _hissing_ sound caught his ears.

The sound reminded him of something...a Bunsen burner...

'I can hear gas!' he said, fear enveloping his voice. The corridor was filling with gas.

Suddenly, the gas was ignited, and Dean realised with a thrill of horror that they were both now trapped, the fire blocking their only exit.

'Son of a bitch' he muttered, looking around the room for an escape, but he couldn't find anything.

'Dean, what are we gonna do?' asked Sam, brown eyes filled with fear as he looked at his older brother, pinning his hopes that his brother would know what to do.

'I-I don't –I'm gonna get us outta here Sammy, ok?' he said, hitting Sam lightly on the shoulder for reassurance before racing to the door.

He tried to get a look at the state of the corridor, and his hurt sunk as he saw that the whole corridor was fully ablaze. There was no way they were gonna get out.

'Sammy...' Dean turned to his brother, but saw with horror Sam fall to his knees, coughing and retching.

'Sammy...Sam come on dude...' he said, pulling Sam round to face him, but he saw his brother's face was lifeless, the smoke filling his lungs, making him unable to breathe.

'No, no...' Dean choked, out, coughing into his own sleeve; he felt his eyes grow heavy, his chest tightening.

He moved Sam on the floor, and opened his airways.

Taking a deep breath of the acrid smoke, Dean placed his mouth over Sam's mouth and nose, and blew his own air down his throat.

He watched Sam's chest rise and fall, but Sam still wasn't breathing on his own.

'Come on...please...don't do this to me!' begged Dean, taking another lungful of smoke and breathing it into Sam.

After a few more breaths Dean realised that he couldn't do it anymore- his body just wouldn't let him.

'Come ...on...Sammy' he gasped, his chin hitting Sam's chest as he struggled to keep upright, his eyes clouding over, he could feel his chest tighten even more.

Though the fire was roaring, Dean heard the sounds of footfalls behind him, but he couldn't turn to see who it was.

All of a sudden he felt himself being moved off his brother, even though his fingers clawed at his shirt, not willing to be parted, but he was moved to a space next to him.

A moment later, he felt a mask being strapped to his face, and immediately fresh oxygen was pumped into his lungs, easing his coughing, making it clearer for him to breathe.

He tried to look around, to see what was happening to Sam, but he couldn't move his head very well. He tried to move the mask off his face, but a hand was soon upon him, making him push the mask back on his mouth.

He managed to turn his head just in time to see a figure bending over his brother, but he couldn't see what he was doing to him.

The figure then stood up, its huge frame obscuring his vision, before it then started to extinguish the flames that were engulfing them all.

The last thing that Dean saw before he sank into unconsciousness was the huge bulking man pick up his brother, and throwing him over his shoulder, before taking him out the room. The man then came back for him, picking him bodily up, his head lolling onto his shoulder as the darkness claimed him.

**What's going to happen to Sam and Dean now?**

**Who saved them?**

**Find out in the next chapter!**

**Thank you for reading, and please review!**


	3. Earth

Dean woke up, his chest still tight from the smoke. Remembering what had happened almost immediately, he quickly looked around for Sam, and let out a huge sigh of relief when he saw Sam lying beside him, still out like a light.

He was suddenly cold; he realised that they were outside, but he didn't know where.

'Sammy?' he asked, prodding Sam awake, watching with concern as Sam groggily shook his head and sat up. He coughed a few times, clutching his chest, and then looked at Dean with horror.

'Dean...what happened?' he asked, standing up, helping Dean up too.

Sam looked up, and with a frown he saw that they were at the bottom of a deep pit; the walls were so high Sam could only just see a small square of starlight.

'I don't know, I though we were goners...then someone came and helped us' he said, not quite believing what had happened.

'Helped us?' Sam repeated, frowning at his brother.

'Yeah...I don't know who it was; whoever they were, they were huge' said Dean, remembering the hulking great figure than had helped them survive the smoke.

'The wonders of a fire proof suit' came a soft voice from above; the boys looked up and squinted to catch a glimpse of the man looking down on them.

'Who are you?' Sam called up, but the man just chuckled and walked away.

'Hey! He was talking to you!' Dean yelled, fear and anger saturating his veins, adrenaline pumping.

The man returned, smiling down at Sam and Dean, although they didn't know that; the man was still not showing his face, and the gloom of the night sky was hiding it even more.

'I must say you two did an extraordinarily good job with the fire; Dean, your courage to save your brother was commendable, I cant say that same about Sam I'm afraid-never mind...'

The man then disappeared again, and after a couple of seconds the brothers could hear the sounds of shovel being used-hell, they had used a shovel many times, so they knew what they sounded like.

Before Sam and Dean could even look at each other the sky on the top of the pit suddenly clouded over, then Sam recoiled into the back of the pit as a huge clump of earth landed on his head.

'Sam!' Dean gasped, grabbing his brother's arm to keep him upright.

Seconds later, more dirt was coming into the whole, the earth and dirt was now coming thick and fast into the pit, covering the floor.

Dean now knew why the pit was tall, but not very wide. It would be easier to fill up.

'Oh my god-he's gonna bury us alive!' Sam gasped, watching as the dirt levels began to rise.

Dean tried to climb up the walls; his fingernails embedded into the soft earth, but as soon as he tried to put a foot into the wall, it immediately slipped, and he fell back down with a cry.

Sam helped him up, then tried himself, but then fell down again.

'PLEASE, STOP!' Dean begged, but the earth kept on coming, all the way up to their knees.

'Climb on top of it, we can use it to get up!' Sam said, trying to get his foot from under the heavy weight of the earth that was covering them.

Dean tried to move his feet, but the weight of the earth was making it damn near impossible.

'I can't...it's too heavy!'

'Try Dean!' Sam said, himself struggling to move his feet under the dirt, but it was getting increasingly harder.

After a couple of minutes the mud was just beginning to come up over their knees, and Dean really started to panic. He looked across at Sam, his face a mirror image of his own; pale, and full of terror.

'What are we gonna do?' he asked, but Dean wasn't really listening- he was watching the dirt rise up his legs.

'Please!' he called up, voice cracking. 'Please! Why are you doing this? Let us go!' he yelled, still trying to move his legs from the dirt.

Sam grabbed his arm and hauled him up, and Dean's legs managed to get above the dirt, but if he tried to help Sam, his feet sank back down.

'Sammy...we can't do it!' he yelped, grabbing Sam and trying to move him too.

'Don't worry about me Dean...let's get you out!' Sam snapped, but Dean shot him a look.

'Don't worry about you-are you nuts?' he asked incredulously, looking across at his brother.

'Come on Dean-better you than me!'

'Not where I come from you idiot!' growled Dean, and with much force he grabbed Sam and hauled him up, wiggling him a bit to get his feet on top of the dirt.

'Your taller...you pull me up!' he instructed, looking down in worry as his knees went under the dirt, the earth fast rising above his thighs.

'Oh god...' he murmured, looking at Sam, and helping him get more footway.

Sam looked up; the dirt was rising to the top, and he was riding the dirt.

'Are you...nearly there Sammy?' gasped Dean, feeding Sam's body on the top as he went up with the dirt.

Dean noticed with a thrill of panic that the dirt was reaching his chest; if he wasn't quick, Sam wouldn't be able to pull him up before he went under...

'I can almost reach it now' Sam said, reaching up and grasping the edge of the pit, he hauled himself up with a groan and rolled onto the wet grass.

He knelt and looked around, trying to spot the man who was throwing the dirt in the pit-but he was gone.

There was no sign of him.

They were in a graveyard, and the pit they were in was a grave.

'Sam!' Dean gasped from below, his voice cracked and strained.

Sam looked down and yelped when he saw Dean, all the way up to his neck in mud and earth.

'Hold on bro-I'm gonna get you out!' Sam yelled, kneeling further to the entrance of the pit, all the while keeping a lookout for the son of a bitch who had done this to them.

'Sammy...please!' choked out Dean, trying to move his head, but dirt kept going down his shirt.

Sam started to dig around Dean's head with his finger to get some leeway, and then started to pull his brother's head gently.

Seeing this wasn't working, Dean tried to move his arms, and finally managed to unearth one of his arms, which he hooked around Sam's neck to help propel him forward.

'That's it Dean- keep pulling...I'll get you out!' Sam gasped, moving backwards in a steady motion so Dean could lever his way out.

After a few minutes Dean managed to get his other arm free, and with a grunt he started to pull himself up, using Sam's shoulder and neck as a hold.

'almost...there...' he growled, and then with a gasp he was out, falling on Sam as he threw himself on the ground, panting and breathing heavily.

'You ok?' Sam asked from under his brother.

'Yeah-I'm good...let's go!' Dean said, getting off of him and helping him up.

'Sounds good to me' agreed Sam, and they started to walk across the graveyard, always looking for the crazy that had done this to him.

'Oh I hope we don't meet him-I'm gonna beat the living snot outta him!' growled Dean, but Sam kept pushing him forwards. He didn't want to meet him either, so he figured it was best if they kept moving.

There was a crack of a branch behind them, and the brother's whirled round to be met by a large man in a hooded shirt, the shadow of the hood obscuring his face.

Sam tensed, afraid, but Dean stood his ground.

He growled as he launched himself at the man, punching him in the face and bringing him to the ground.

The man laughed and stood up, before, quicker than Sam would have thought possible, reached into his coat and pulled out the shovel.

Dean tried to move away but was caught in the face by the metal tool; he went sprawling to the floor at Sam's feet, a large purple bruise already forming on the side of his face.

'You son of a bitch!' growled Sam, face full of fury as he stepped in front of his brother.

'what are you going to do Sam?' asked the man, soft voice floating in the cool breeze, brown leaves scattering at their feet, it looked just like a movie scene as Sam and the man surveyed each other.

'Why are you doing this?' asked Sam, voice quaking with anger.

His first instinct was to run, to get as far away from here as he could-but he would never leave Dean.

'Why, for the results of course...you two have some of the best results I have ever seen! You two must be so proud of yourselves, and I'm guessing your father is too?'

'How the hell do you know about my dad?' spat Sam, not willing to make conversation, but he realised it was the only option, he would humour him for a while.

'Oh, I know I lot of things about you Sam' said the man, and it was obvious from his voice that he was smiling.

'You think you are happy...content with your brother-but I know your just as messed up as me!'

'Your a sick son of a bitch-I'm gonna kill you!' snarled Sam, and he lunged for the man, but he stepped aside, pushing Sam into the wet ground, mud streaking his jacket.

'No Sam...I think _I _am going to kill _you_' he said, before holding the shovel above his head and bringing it down on Sam's back, sending him groaning to the floor.

He then raised his foot, and stamped on the back of the younger Winchester's head, knocking him unconscious.

'There. That wasn't so hard now, was it?' said the man to himself, before chuckling and looking towards test subject two's brother, who was still out for the count beside him.

Now was the time for the next test...

**Thank you for reading; I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Please review...I would love to know what you think of it!**

**Again...thanks for reading**


	4. Water

Sam gasped, and panic suddenly entered his heart as he felt water enter his mouth and nose, the suffocating liquid filling his throat, making him cough and splutter.

He flailed around, fingers hitting plastic close to him, sending him into a twirl of panic as he tried to claw his way through.

'Sammy! Sammy please, you have to calm down!' he heard his brother's deep voice as thought he was speaking from miles away. Dean couldn't help him; he was going to drown...

'Sam! Oh god please dude! Just stop moving! Put your head up, you can still breathe!' Dean yelled, his own face turned straight up so he could breathe through the narrow slit at the top of his plastic prison.

Sam stopped moving slightly, and tried desperately to look through the plastic to find his brother.

Through the stained, water logged clear plastic, he could see Dean in anther tank opposite him, his face turned up so he could breathe, everything else completely submerged in water.

'Dean! Help!' he yelled, then he cursed himself; he knew Dean couldn't help him.

'Sorry Sammy...I'm kinda busy at the moment!' Dean chuckled through the water, but he too was bristling with panic.

He watched as his little brother coughed again, and a feeling of complete helplessness engulfed the oldest Winchester. How could he help Sammy when he was in here?

Both brothers's looked round when they heard a thick metal door opening to the side of them, the bottom of the door scratching painfully on the stone floor.

Sam tried to turn his head to see who had entered the room, but water kept splashing into his nose, making him splutter.

'I wouldn't struggle too much if I were you Sam. I think your going to need your strength later' the man said, his soft and lofty voice echoing through Sam's plastic prison.

'Let us out! You've had your fun!' he gasped, treading water to keep himself afloat. He desperately looked across at Dean, who had a livid expression on his face.

'Let us go you son of a bitch! We haven't done anything to you! Who are you?' he added, thinking with a thrill of anger that they didn't even know who he was.

'Who am I? Oh, I am just a watcher, a keen observer if you will. I've been watching you two for quite some time, and I must say, what bravery and intellect you two men have shown! Your dedication to one another-you just can't match it!

So I devised my own tests, and I must say you two are doing quite well, though I think Dean is in the lead Sam, your going to have to do something spectacular to beat his score!' he chuckled.

'Score? What do you mean, score? This isn't a game! This is our lives!' he gasped.

'Oh but this is a game! The winner walks away, the loser-dies. It is as simple as that' he stated, before walking to Dean, who gave a disbelieving chuckle.

'I'm gonna kill you first before you kill either of us!' he growled.

The man just laughed and tapped on the plastic, the water vibrations sending water up his nose.

'We'll see, we'll see...' he said, before walking to the side.

Neither of the brother's could see what he was doing, but suddenly there was a high pitch whirring sound, and seconds later all the water was starting to drain out of Sam's prison.

As the water level went down, Dean looked down at his own cage, hoping the same would happen to him, but the water stayed where it was.

As the water level completely drained out, Sam's feet hit the floor and he started to pound at the plastic.

'Oh no, not yet-not until you've heard your task' the man chuckled, walking in front of Sam and regarding him with a cool chuckle.

'What task?' Sam asked, anger now coursing through his veins now he was free.

'I'm glad you asked! Well, in a few moments time, Dean's plastic cage will be replaced by a bigger one, and more water will fill it, until there is no more room for him to breathe.

Your task it to find the key that will unlock his cage before he drowns! Sounds simple, doesn't it?

Well, it could well be, but you'll have to try and find it through all the other, identical looking keys in the pile over there!' he said, pointing at a small table, where a huge pile of small keys were piled on top of it.

'You son of a bitch-let him go!' Sam yelled, but the man shook his head and chuckled.

'Are you ready? Then-go!' he said, before walking to the door and opening it.

Sam stood still for a second, and then quickly opened the door that he was sure was locked moments before.

As Sam raced up to the door to kill the twisted crazy that was trying to kill them, the door closed with a snap, and Sam could hear a heavy lock being put across it.

'Damn it!' Sam yelled, before he turned back to his brother, hands running across his hair, pure fear rushing through his body.

'Sam! Help me!' Dean gasped, kicking wildly out in his prison, trying to kick it open.

He stopped moving when he heard a low rumbling, and suddenly the cage was split in two, water gushing out as Dean fell to the floor.

Before either of the boys could react, seconds later two bigger panes of plastic replaced the ones before, snapping together like a key in a lock.

'What? No! No!' Sam yelled, his voice suddenly higher as he pounded at the harder plastic surrounding his older brother.

'Sam- find the key!' Dean instructed in a calm voice, trying to calm Sam down, get him focused. He couldn't let on how scared he was; they would both be doomed if he did that.

'The key...I'll find it Dean!' he promised, before dashing over to the table, and started to sift through the mammoth collection of keys.

As Dean watched his little brother work, he heard water gushing back into his cage. The water was filling the cage quicker than he expected, and in only a few seconds the water was knee-high.

'Sammy hurry up!' he yelped, trying to not sound too panicky, but to instil some haste into his brother's job.

'I'm coming, I'm coming-hold on in there dude!' Sam yelled back, wet fingers slipping as he tried desperately to keep a hold on the keys.

He grabbed a handful and raced to his brother's side, dumping them on the floor, and picking them up one by one to check if they fitted the lock.

Key after key, Sam threw it behind his shoulder, getting increasingly frustrated and anxious as each key jammed in the lock.

'Come on Sam!' Dean begged, watching in complete fear as the water level reached his chest.

'I'm going as fast as I can...hold on...' Sam gasped as he tore back to the table to grab more keys.

As Dean watched his brother try to save him, Dean felt nothing but fear, unable to quell the rising tide of helplessness tearing into his veins.

'Hang on dude...' Sammy's voice sounded so far away, as if he was moving backwards as he said it.

The water had now reached his neck, and he had to start treading water so he didn't go under.

Sam was now starting to panic, his fingers shaking as he grabbed the remaining keys.

'Please...Sam...hurry!' Dean gasped, now having to stretch his head above the water, the liquid reaching his chin, frothing over the bottom of his nose as he moved.

Sam looked desperately at his brother as he fought to keep above the water.

'Oh god- hold on Dean!' he said, panic completely taking over. Horrified, rushed tears now fell down his face as he searched for the key.

Above him, he heard a few guttural splutters, before the noise stopped completely.

Dean? Come on dude!' he gasped, standing up and pressing his body against the plastic, slamming his fists against it as he watched his brother go under.

Dean scrabbled at the plastic, but it was no use. He couldn't breathe at all, and if Sam wasn't quick, he was going to drown.

Panic now fuelled his body, but he knew he shouldn't move too much, he opened his eyes and stared helplessly at Sam, hoping that he would help.

Sam choked back a sob and fell to his knees, sorting through the remaining pile of keys.

He sorted through them until-

'Yes!' Sam gasped as the key slid easily into the lock. He looked up at Dean, but with a thrill of horror he saw his brother, eyes closed, just floating in the tank, his back hitting the top.

'No! No! I've got it!' he yelled as he turned the key in the lock.

The doors flung open, and a huge amount of water fell on the youngest Winchester, but Sam wasn't worried about that; he caught Dean as he fell, letting him land on his body as they fell into the water together.

As the water sloshed and moved around the room, Sam knocked Dean off him and fell to his knees beside him.

He moved Dean so he was facing him, and felt for a pulse.

'No!' he gasped as he failed to find one.

He sat on his haunches and prepared to give his brother CPR; he placed his mouth over his brother's mouth and nose, and blew three times, watching his brother's chest rise and fall.

He then moved on to the chest compressions, placing his hands over Dean's sternum and pushing down thirty times, repeating them both at intervals.

He knew that if he didn't get Dean's heart started in three or less minutes, then there would be a good chance he never would.

After a few more compressions, Dean suddenly lurched sideways, water pouring out of his mouth and he coughed and gasped for air. His fingers found Sam's shirt, and they intertwined themselves around the material tightly as he fought to control his breathing.

'You're ok Dean...I gotcha...your ok...' Sam reassured him, pulling Dean up so he could breathe properly.

Dean immediately leant his head against Sam's shoulder, gasping into his shirt, face pressed into his neck.

'Sammy...' he gasped out, but Sam stopped him. 'Don't talk-breathe'.

'Thank...you...' Dean said anyway, moving back slightly to look his brother in the eye.

'Thank you Sammy!' he repeated.

'Don't be stupid!' Sam brushed off his thanks, and then helped his brother get up shakily.

As Sam supported his brother, they suddenly heard clapping from behind them.

'well done' came a voice as Sam whirled round, but before he could say anything the door closed with a metallic click.

'What do we do now?' Sam gasped, but Dean shrugged helplessly.

'I don't know...I don't know...'he whispered.

A few seconds later, the room went black, sending the boys into darkness.

The next-and final- test, was about to begin.

**Sorry for the wait, but I got complete writers-block on this story, so I had to have a long think of what to do!**

**I hope this chapter was worth the wait though!**

**Please review, they all mean a lot!**


	5. Chapter 5

Sam gasped as the light came back on, the harsh light momentarily blinding him. He felt Dean squeeze his arm beside him, and looked around, trying to see more than spots and streaks of whiteness.

The room was exactly the same as it was before; the tanks were in the same position. This actually alarmed Dean more than anything else.

He walked to the door and moved the handle, not at all surprised that it was locked.

He shrugged at his brother and began to tug at the door, groaning and straining, trying to break the lock.

After a few minutes, however, he began to get breathless, leaving him fuzzy headed and dizzy.

He brushed it off as a side-effect of almost drowning, and continued to tug at the door, but the same thing happened a couple of minutes later; he sank to the floor, gasping for breath, a deep, throbbing headache starting to develop.

'Dean? What's the matter?' asked Sam, racing up the stairs and holding his brother up.

'Can't...Breathe...too good' Dean gasped out.

Sam breathed in, stupidly trying to test whether he could still breathe; he could, so what was wrong with Dean?

A few minutes later, however, Sam felt himself getting breathless, his head started to pound, and he started to feel really sick.

He keeled over to the side, vomiting on the floor. He clutched at his head, groaning against the pain.

Dean fell on his side, vomit leaking from the side of his mouth, causing him to choke.

'D-Dean...' Sam groaned, holding his stomach as he searched for his brother.

Dean held his brother's shoulder, mind racing to find out what was happening.

'What-what is this?' Sam choked out, managing to stand up.

He attempted to walk forwards, but he veered and juddered to the left and right, before finally falling to his knees and vomiting over the floor again.

'Sam!' Dean gasped, crawling towards his little brother and holding him close.

He couldn't do anything...he didn't even know what was happening...

Dean gasped as he felt Sam move under his arms; he opened them slightly and watched in abject horror as Sam began to jerk and move around, head lolling around, muscles tensing and contracting.

He's having a fit, Dean thought, panic ripping through his body as he moved away from his brother. He knew he shouldn't hold him still; just let him work through it.

But it was so hard trying not to help. He choked back sobs as he watched Sam fit his arms and legs convulsing as he jerked on the vomit streaked floor.

Dean clutched at his own head, the throbbing pain making it hard to see, as he watched his brother.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, Sam stopped moving, and lay still, panting on the floor, keening softly, clutching weakly at his head.

Dean lurched forwards, his chin hitting Sam's shoulder and he fought with unconsciousness to check if his brother was ok.

He found that he couldn't speak, the breath literally evaporating as soon as it left him. He keeled over, his forehead resting on Sam's shoulder, unconscious.

Sam looked around, eyes streaming, his face streaked with sweat, water and his own vomit, as he tried to pinpoint a way out.

From behind him, he heard heavy footfalls, but he couldn't turn, he had no energy. He had no idea what was happening...what to do...

He gasped as a mask was placed over his face, fresh oxygen pumping through his system. He felt Dean being moved off of him and watched as the same was done to him.

'come now Sam- you've got more fight in you than this!' he heard a rasping voice say, and before he succumbed and fell into unconsciousness, he heard a deep, breathy chuckle, ringing through the stone room, accompanying him as he sunk into darkness.

**Wow, that was dark... but I hope you enjoyed!**

**What happened to the boys? Review me your guesses, it something very specific- then I will reveal all in the next chapter-there will be shocks a-plenty!**

**Please review this chapter; I would love to know what you think?**


	6. Chapter 6

The next time Sam woke up, he was suspended by his wrists in the middle of a huge warehouse, the dank smell of must and damp clogging his nose and making him cough.

He opened his bleary eyes, and looked to his side to try and find Dean; he was hanging in the same predicament as him, his head lolled to one side, still unconscious.

'Dean?' Sam gasped out, his throat dry, making his voice crack. He closed his eyes in pain then swallowed, before calling out again.

'Dean-wake up!' he yelped, his heart soaring a little when Dean groaned, opened his eyes and lifted his head.

Dean immediately looked for his brother, his eyes full of shock as he saw him, wrists bound, hanging from a rope.

'Sammy? Are you ok?'

'No, not really-but I'll live...you?'

'oh, can't complain really-this has been kinda fun, in' it?' Dean chuckled, but he caught sight of Sam's expression and realised this wasn't the time for jokes. The crazy could be back any minute-they had to get out.

He looked up; they were suspended by a thick rope that went all the way up to the rafters, where it was then tied round and round. There was no way in hell that he could get out of this.

'Hang in there Sammy-I'll get us out!' he said anyway, not wanting Sam to think there was no hope. There was always hope, always a way out.

Dean stopped struggling when he heard a door open behind them, but he couldn't quite propel himself around to look who came through the door. He didn't need to guess, anyway.

'Well boys-haven't you two done well?' the floaty voice came from behind them, the sounds of one person clapping reached Sam's ears, and he started to struggle even harder.

'Oh now Sam, don't fret so...it'll all be over soon' the man promised, patting Sam's back. Sam growled in anger and tried to throw it off, but all he got was a chuckle in return.

'Still haven't learnt yet?' said the man, and he finally stepped into the light.

He was a white man, of about forty or fifty years old, Dean guessed. He had deep brown eyes, but they were laced with evil, with no life in them at all-it was just colour.

His face was peppered with small scars, across his face and down his neck, with huge expanses of pale, whiter skin covering the side of his face, running next to the scars down his neck.

Sam looked in morbid fascination as the man smiled; the skin of his lips a mottled white, blending in with the rest of the skin of his face.

'Trunky want a bun?' the man smiled, nodding at Sam's curious expression. Sam glared at the man, before he inexplicably softened.

'What happened to you?' he asked, his throat was still dry, but he had to know.

'I was in a fire-much like yourselves- when I was a young boy. My mother and father perished in the searing heat and flames, as did my younger brother and older sister. Even our dog.

I was the only one to survive the carnage, the only one to tell the tale-but it left me horrifically scarred, both inside and out.' The man said, tears welling up in his eyes.

'Oh my heart bleeds! If you had such a bad life-why do this to ours?' Dean yelled, anger coursing through his body. The man tried to kill them multiple times, and now he thinks he can explain it away by the fact he had a poor childhood? He was preaching to the wrong choir.

'you haven't heard the whole story!' the man snapped, his voice going up an octave, his dead eyes shining, the pink patches of skin turning red in anger.

After a while, he calmed down and smiled serenely at the boys, a sight that made Sam feel physically sick.

'Now- I was left with horrific scars, some of which you can see now. I've lost all the feelings in my right arm due to the nerves being singed in the fire, I cannot walk too far, as the smoke has permanently damaged my lungs, and it leaves me breathless.

But the worst injuries come from inside-'

'Dude, we don't care! Just do what your gonna do!' growled Dean, struggling to break the rope, but to no avail.

'Hush! Let me speak, it will do you no good to argue and interrupt-your score will just get lower!' the man said, before continuing with his monologue.

'As I said, the worst injuries come from inside- I cannot sleep for more than two hours before my heart stops, a by product from smoke inhalation. I get flashbacks from the fire, I am haunted by the face of my brother as his eyes clouded over...my sisters screams as her hair and face caught fire... my parents yells as they fought to find us and get us out...'

A small sob broke through his words.

Sam didn't know why, but he was starting to pity the man. He had been through a horrible trauma, something he would never wish upon anyone in the world, even his enemies.

'Then why?' he asked, his voice ripping through the man's reverie.

'Why what?' he asked, tilting his head slightly to the side, as if confused.

'Why'd you do it? Why try to kill us? You've seen death up close-why try to kill us?' Sam replied. He realised he was shaking, but he didn't care-he needed to know.

'I'm glad you asked- for years, I had been in therapy, counselling, but nothing helped-until I committed my first murder. Feeling someone take their last breath, watching the life leave their eyes...it was like coming home. In a strange way, I felt peace, calm, something I hadn't experienced for a very long time...I liked it. So I carried on...killing randomly, for my own salvation.' He said with relish, as though he was talking about a good book he had read.

Dean looked at him in abject horror and disgust. 'Your one sick puppy!' he spat.

The man looked at Dean, unabashed, and then shook his head.

'I don't expect you to understand. But now I get to the part where it concerns you.

See, I started to get bored with murdering at will, so I decided to do something, well, worthwhile- I constructed a series of tests and games, designed to test human dedication.

My parents would have done anything to save my brother and sister. Anything.

Now I had the chance to test whether other people would do the same. Now my choices of victim were controlled, thought out- I would choose family members- brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives. The combination didn't matter, as long as they were from the same family.

I put them through the same tests, and marked their efforts.'

Sam let out a disbelieving yell, struggling even harder, scared of what might happen if they stayed one more minute with this nut-job.

'Please, let me finish-the family member that scored highest, walked away. The person with the lowest-well, let's say I had my fun with them.' The man chuckled. 'Those people aren't worth life, they won't save their family in their time of need-it was better if I got rid of them.' The man sighed, as if losing train of thought.

'Then I caught sight of you two boys! I watched as Dean saved his brother, time after time after time, Sam doing the same. I was impressed, watching your dedication to each other- I knew I had to test it out! So, I designed my tests for you' the man said, looking proudly at his handiwork.

Sam and Dean looked stonily back at him.

'What? You two should be proud of yourselves- your strength, bravery, dedication, I knew I had to see how far it would go...so I kidnapped you-and oh I was not disappointed!; the man chuckled, clapping his hands, making Dean jump.

'What's with the Element idea?' Sam asked suddenly. He thought back to the 'games'. Fire-earth-water-air...the four elements.

'Oh, that was just something I thought about, it has no real value...I just decided to try something different.' The man shrugged off the question.

'Now- for the moment of truth' he smiled, smiling at one Winchester, then the other.

'What's that supposed to mean?' asked Dean, getting impatient.

'Well, remember I told you about the scores? The one with the highest score walks away, the one with the lowest-well, doesn't?' the man asked, before reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a scruffy, leather back notebook.

'Want to know your scores?'

**Who's going to get the lowest score?**

**Find out in the next chapter!**

**I Hope you liked my explanation of our evil man!**

**Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Sam looked on in shock as the scarred man opened the scruffy leather book to a yellowing page, which was marked by a brown bookmark.

He smiled and whistled under his breath as he scanned the page, looking down to the part he was searching for.

'Now- Dean, I'll start with you...in the first test, you gallantly searched for your brother in the choking fumes of the fire, regardless of your own safety. I marked you a modest seven out of ten!'

Dean snorted; he couldn't believe he was being marked for trying to save Sam's life.

'Hush now! This is important! Now- in the next test, you rather let your brother do the work, he saved you, so I'm going to mark you a three...'

'Listen-we don't care!' yelled Sam, trying to pull himself down. Quicker than he deemed humanly possible, the man walked over to him and slapped him around the face, sending him spinning to the left, yelping in sudden pain.

'You son of a bitch! Don't you touch him! Let us go!' yelled Dean, craning his head to see if Sam was ok.

'NO! No one leaves until I have given you your results!' the man spat, eyes aflame with fury, his face red, his veins popping beneath his skin.

After a while he seemed to calm, his face returning to its normal colour, his form relaxing.

He smiled serenely at the brothers, who were looking at him in shock, and patted his book.

'Shall I continue?' he asked, and without waiting for the stunned boys to answer, he cleared his throat and began talking again.

'Now, as I was saying...in the water test, Dean, you were my chosen partner, and you were the one who had to be saved, and I think you did a marvellous job of being a damsel in distress! Therefore I mark you eight out of ten accordingly...and in the final test...well, you tried to help Sam, but you were rather overwhelmed, weren't you...carbon monoxide does that to a person- so I will award you five.'

He tapped his book with his finger, as if totting up his score.

'And your grand total is-thirty three out of fifty! Not bad...not bad at all...' he said, before patting Dean on the side. The eldest Winchester moved as if burned, propelling himself to the side.

The man looked hurt for a second. 'I was only congratulating you' he sad sadly.

'I don't need your congratulations!' Dean growled darkly, eyes shining with hate.

'Oh very well' the man sighed, and he moved to Sam, whose face was already baring the livid red shape of a hand running down his left cheek.

'Sam Winchester, I come to you- now, in the first test you had to be saved, and you did do a good job...but I noticed that as soon as you were saved, you succumbed to flame and smoke-that was most disappointing' he said.

'It wasn't like that!' shot Sam, eyes brimming with anger as he looked at the maniac who was deciding their fate. He had never felt so afraid in his entire life.

'oh but I think it was, so I am going to award you two out of ten for being such a drama queen. Anyway, on to the second test- and you did a marvellous job, getting yourself and your brother out of that pit, and challenging me at the end, I was very impressed with that display, so I award you six!' the man smiled at the young hunter, who stared disbelievingly back.

'Onto the next test, I think- again, this is the water one...you did an admiral job trying to find those keys, and I have to award your for getting the right key in the lock, and just in the nick of time too!' the man gave a small laugh as he looked back at Dean, who was looking at his little brother with concern. This man was insane, he had to be stopped.

'Oh. Dean doesn't seem to find that funny...so I shall continue- I awarded you seven out of ten for your valour, and then we proceed to the fourth and final test. You did as well as could be expected under your circumstances, but you _first_ to fall, therefore I will mark you three'.

The man smiled as he walked to a space in the middle of the two suspended Winchester brothers, who were looking at each other, neither knowing what to expect next.

'Right! Time for the moment of truth!' the man's soft breathy voice floated around the warehouse, the echo reverberating by Sam's ears.

He looked at his brother, eyes wide with fear, as he knew that Dean was doing the same mental arithmetic he was doing in his head.

'Dean, as I have already said, your score came to thirty three out of fifty, a very commendable effort. Sam- your score came to...twenty eight out of fifty.' He said, his voice now low, his eyes glinting with malice.

This was the part he liked, the bit he enjoyed most...now he had a victim.

And that victim-was Sam Winchester.

**What's going to happen to Sam?**

**Will Dean be able to save him from the clutches of the insane man?**

**Find out in the next chapter!**

**Sorry this was so short, but I liked the ending, it's a bit of a cliffhanger!**

**Thank you for reading, and please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

With cold, sneering eyes, the man circled Sam eagerly, as if he was a lion regarding his prey.

Sam's own eyes darted to his brother, who was straining and groaning, trying to get his arms from the rope that bound them.

'Please! Let us go!' Sam begged, craning his neck as the man walked to the back of him. He was just about to shout out again when an almighty pain flourished in his lower back, sending him jutting forwards, yelping in pain.

'YOU SON OF A BITCH!' Dean growled, eyes ablaze with fury as he looked across at his brother, who was swinging slightly, arms above his head, his eyes closed against the pain.

'I swear if you hurt him-I'll make you wish you died in that fire!' he yelled, anger and panic overtaking all rational, logical thought.

'Oh yes? How, when your all the way over there?' said the man, his eyes shining with a challenge.

'And when I am here-'he ended his sentence with another swing, the wooden bat finding its target once more; Sam's back. As the wood bit at his back, Sam yelled again, tears of pain erupting in his eyes, but he couldn't wipe them away.

'leave him alone!' ordered Dean, but he too shied away slightly as the man rushed to him, raised the bat above his head and swung it around his side, up into his ribs. Dean buckled in pain, at the same time desperately trying to unhook his arms.

'I say what happens around here! You will be free...let me get on with my work now-those were the rules!' he said.

'We didn't know the rules, we didn't abide by them...you tricked us!' groaned Sam, head bowed against the constant pain in his back, now coupled with the searing pain in his shoulders.

The man chuckled darkly, before walking slowly to Sam and tapping him on the shoulder.

'I know, that was bad of me- but tell me, would you have actually agreed to do it if you knew?'

Sam looked at him for the insane man he knew he was, before shaking his head in disgust.

'You're crazy! What makes you think you can decide over our lives? You had a bad childhood, we get it-do something good now, let us go!' he knew basic negotiating skills by watching plenty of cop dramas in his time at Stanford, now they seemed to be coming into good use.

'Where's the fun in that?' replied the man, before stepping back, pulling back his fist, and then slamming it into Sam's stomach.

The youngest Winchester choked, gasping for breath, slumping forwards.

Dean struggled even harder, throwing panicked looks in his brother's direction. He had to help Sam. he was going to die if he didn't do something... with a sudden gasp; Dean looked up to see he had split a portion of the tick rope holding his wrists in place. He looked back at the man to see if he had noticed, but he was facing away from the hunter, too preoccupied with his brother.

Dean began to pull harder at the rope.

Sam groaned as he looked up, face pale, eyes locked onto the insane man's, who still held the bat in his hand.

'Please...stop...you don't have to do this-arhgg!' he was cut off again by a vicious swipe which met his stomach. He coughed, feeling the warm trickle of blood fall down his chin.

The man's face seemed to come alive seeing the blood. He began to chuckle, and walked closer to Sam, holding out a finger and scooping the blood off his face. He raised the finger to his mouth and sucked it, closing his eyes in apparent euphoria as he rolled the blood around in his mouth.

'Mmm...you taste good-I'm going to have fun with you' he stated.

Sam looked at him in pure horror, before his eyes flicked back to his brother, his eyes desperately seeking help.

He didn't look long, as the man raised the bat once more, malice flickering in his eyes, as he brought it forward again, the wood hitting it's mark again and again- Sam's shoulders...legs...stomach...back, nowhere was safe. Sam shut his eyes, screaming out in pain over and over again.

Finally, the inevitable happened, as he heard and felt the dull crack of a bone breaking.

The new pain flaring in his leg meant it was this limb that had broken, but he knew it wouldn't be too long before other bones succumbed too.

'your a strong one!' the man remarked, holding the bat above his head to deal the biggest blow yet-but before he could swing, one strong arm reached up and grabbed the wood, twisting it in his hands and pulling it out of his grasp.

'Get your hands of my brother you son of a bitch!' Dean Winchester growled, before head butting the man, sending him to the floor.

He ran forwards to Sam, who was slumped forwards, unconscious, a line of blood almost touching the floor as it left his mouth. He gasped when he saw his mangled leg, the bone jutting from his Jeans, blood coating the material.

'Sammy! Oh god...Sam...' he whispered, trying to work out the best way of getting his brother down without injuring him more.

'Dean-look out' he heard Sam groan. He turned just in time to see the man running towards him, arms stretched forwards. Before he could even react, his arms found his neck, and as the man pushed him to the floor, he began to squeeze.

Dean could feel his face begin to swell, the blood vessels being crushed. He grappled at the man's face wildly, trying to throw him off.

'not this time' the man growled, his pupils dilated, his face turned to a sneer as he put more pressure on the hunters neck, cutting his supply of blood ever-further.

Dean choked gutturally, feeling his mind fade, his eyes swimming in darkness.

One thought kept him going. Sam.

With all the strength he was able to muster, he managed to knock one of the man's arms free, taking the opportunity to take a deep breath, before pulling the other arm off and rolling out from under him.

As he stood, he kicked out, sending the man across the room with a groan. He ran to him and kicked him again. It was a dirty way to dispatch of someone, but he didn't have any other weapons-or choice.

He knelt and punched him in the face again and again, hoping he would die quickly, but the crazy didn't seem to even need to breath. He closed his eyes for a second, preparing himself, then put his own hands around the man's neck, squeezing tightly until both his thumbs touched.

The man's eyes bulged, and he too started to claw at Dean's face, but the hunter stayed firm, hating himself, but he knew that he couldn't do anything else.

He felt angry, confused tears well up in his eyes, but he swallowed them back. Now wasn't the time for an attack of conscience.

When he was sure the man was dead, he finally got up, wiping his hands on his Jeans.

He looked down at the man's open, staring eyes. He didn't know how to feel. On the one hand, it was the last resort, but on the other- he had just killed another human being.

'Dean...'his brother's voice jolted him back to his senses. He turned and ran to him, a thrill of horror hitting his stomach when he saw the state of him.

'Oh my god...'he gasped.

Sam looked at him with a brave smile. 'Help?'

Dean gave a weak chuckle, and then looked around for something to stand on so he could reach his arms.

Once he found a box, he held Sam as tight as he could without inducing pain, and cut the rope in one swift motion.

With a shout of pain Sam fell to the floor, clutching his broken leg with both hands.

'Ok Sam...I gotcha...let's get you up...' said Dean, big-brother mode coming back into action.

He held him around the waist and pulled him up, letting him put all his weight on him, and began to walk towards the door.

'How...are we gonna get outta here?' Sam groaned, hopping on one leg, gritting his teeth with the pain.

'Uhh...good question sasquatch- I'll get us out, don't worry' Dean comforted him.

'I..wh...wasn't worried...' Sam stuttered, pain starting to get the better of him.

'No! Sam...Come on dude...let's set you down for a second...' Dean let his brother down gently, noting with concern and panic as Sam shut his eyes against the pain, groaning.

'Come on man...we're getting out of here! I got us out...' Dean said, rubbing his brother's shoulder, but Sam didn't respond, he merely groaned.

'Please...please...'Dean whispered, grabbing Sam's shoulder and tugging, pulling him the rest of the way out the warehouse door.

He had to get Sam to a doctor...he wouldn't survive if he didn't.

'C'mon dude...don't do this to me' he groaned as he pulled him along, Sam's head lolling on his shoulder.

'Don't leave me here...'

**Is Sam going to make it out alive?**

**Find out in the next chapter!**

**Thank you for reading, and please review!**


	9. Recovery

_24 hours later..._

Dean never liked hospitals. Apart from the fact that they normally dealt with sick and injured people, it was the smell that Dean never liked. It smelt like antiseptic and cleaning fluid, and it coated his nose and the back of his throat.

After he had dragged a comatose Sam from the warehouse, in the now pouring rain, he couldn't find the Impala anywhere, so he had to call for an ambulance, holding an unconscious Sam in his arms as the rain fell on his face.

After Sam had been loaded up in the ambulance he had been whisked straight into theatre, and that was the last Dean had seen for him.

As he paced the corridor for the hundredth time, almost knocking into a rather unhealthy looking man passing next to him, he was stopped by a calm, firm hand on his shoulder.

He turned, looking at the surgeon who had been running next to Sam's gurney as he was pushed into theatre.

'How is he?' Dean asked before the surgeon could speak.

'Mr Winchester, your brother's injuries are very severe. He suffered massive bruising, both internally and externally. His leg was broken in various places, making it very hard to treat-'the man stopped as he watched the young man in front of him stare at him in horror and turn deathly white.

-'but we managed to stabilise him and sort his leg out properly. He's coming round in the next room; you can go and see him if you like'

'Thank you!' Dean breathed, patting the surgeons arm as he almost-ran into his brother's room.

He quietly made his way to Sam's bed, looking at him, assessing his injuries.

Sam had an oxygen mask strapped to his face, his eyelids flickering as he started to come round.

His leg was bandaged and plastered, elevated by a strap which ran down from the ceiling.

Dean brought his chair closer to his brother and just waited for him to come round, making sure he was there when he did.

A few minutes later, Sam began to stir, his closed eyes screwing up in pain as he tried to move to the side. Dean put a hand onto his arm to steady him, and very slowly, Sam opened his eyes.

'Dean?' he asked, his voice muffled by the mask that was taped to his face, he gestured impatiently with his hand for Dean to take it off. Grinning, Dean did, making sure the tape didn't hurt as it came off.

'Hey buddy...how're you feeling?' he said quietly, making sure Sam laid still.

Sam shrugged painfully, before he smiled. 'Been better' he muttered, before trying to sit up straighter, closing his eyes in pain, gritting his teeth and moaning.

'Just stay still Sam! You'll hurt yourself more' Dean instructed.

'You gotta let yourself heal' he added as Sam rolled his eyes, settling back down again.

'So...we made it? He asked as he tried to get more comfy.

'Yeah, I guess we did-although not lightly' Dean chuckled as he nodded Sam's plastered foot.

'That's ok, it was better than the alternative!' Sam smiled back, before he turned serious.

'If you weren't there, if you were someplace else...I wouldn't of-'

'Hey! It didn't happen like that...I was with you, it turned out ok' Dean said sharply. He hated it when Sammy talked like that.

'Yeah, I know...it's just...thanks' Sam answered, looking at his brother, eyes full of trust and love as he regarded the man who always saved his life, no matter what the cost.

'You don't need to thank me!' said Dean, feeling slightly embarrassed, but highly flattered by this comment.

'No-I do, I never say it...you give up everything for me, do whatever you can-and I never appreciate it. You need thanks' said Sam reverently, making sure he brother understood.

Dean rolled his eyes, now thoroughly embarrassed. 'Yeah ok...hey...I know what you can do- you can buy me pie for the rest of your life!' he chuckled, watching Sam now roll his own eyes at him.

'What? Come on Sammy, I don't need thanks...its thanks enough that your still here!' he assured him, patting his shoulder lightly.

Sam nodded, then looked at the door, 'when can I get out of here?' he asked.

'Whoa buddy...you've just come round from major surgery! They're gonna want to keep you in for the night, for observation at least-but I'll go talk to them, see if I can get you out early!'

Dean got up and walked to the door.

'Hey!' he heard Sam call, and he turned questioningly.

'Don't go start flirting with the nurses!' he warned, eyebrow raised, a quirky smile on his lips. He knew exactly what he brother was going to do, and it had nothing to do with getting him out of hospital early.

'Come on Sammy- would I? Dean asked, an innocent smile plastered across his tired face.

'No...My mistake!' Sam shot back, and he settled back against his pillow when Dean gave him a jovial wave and walked out the room, chuckling.

Sam knew that they were going to have to talk about what had happened to them, but now wasn't the time; now was the time to recover, both inside and out.

He knew for a fact that Dean wasn't ok; he was only putting on a brave game-face for his benefit. He was going to get Dean to talk to him even if it killed him.

As Dean walked back into the room, Sam put on a smile of his own, pain blossoming in tired, bruised muscles, his leg throbbing under the plaster.

Their experience over the last few days only showed one thing; no matter what life threw at the two Winchester's, be it supernatural forces or human mad-men, nothing could break them apart, nothing could win when they worked as a team-

Nothing could break them when they were together.

**The end.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading this just as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far, please can you all review one last time to tell me what you thought of both this chapter and the story as a whole!**

**Thank you for reading!**


	10. Authors NoteNot a chapter!

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Sorry to everyone who thought this was a chapter! But I need some advice from you guys... I was thinking about doing a sequel to this story and wondered if you guys would read it if I did? I've never done a sequel before, and I have a few ideas, so I thought I'd give one a try!

Please review your thoughts, and then I will start writing!

Thank you,

Happyday girl


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